The use of removable canopies in pleasure craft to protect passengers from the elements, such as rain, wind or sun, can be of great benefit to the pleasure boating community. By providing a removable means of covering an open cabin or deck, or a portion thereof, pleasure boaters may be free to enjoy the use of their craft under a wide variety of weather conditions, while also providing a convenient means of protecting the open cabin or deck from excessive weathering due to prolonged exposure to the elements. Removable canopies may also be of use in other boating fields, such as, but not limited to, rescue boats, racing boats, or any other small craft used for leisure or commercial activities where a removable cover for an open cabin or deck may be advantageous.
Traditionally, removable covers for boating have often taken the form of “Bimini” type tops, which are lightweight structures that can be manually mounted to a watercraft to provide a cover for at least a portion of a boat. These tops may include either soft tops or hard tops, but all generally require manual installation that can only be carried out safely when the boat is at rest and in calm waters. As these tops are generally lightweight, to allow for manual installation and easy carrying and stowage, they are generally structurally relatively weak, and cannot withstand high loading. These bimini style tops also require additional intermediate struts to be manually fitted between the support struts, to lock the bimini top and support structure in position.
More recently, electronically deployable bimini type tops have been incorporated into boats to provide shelter for passengers. For example, the Sunriva 33 pleasure yacht, manufactured by Riva Yachts, incorporates a retractable hood that is housed within the bow of the yacht and can be electronically deployed to cover the passenger section at the bow of the yacht. However, this hood only provides cover for a small section at the prow of the boat, while obstructing the drivers view ahead. The hood is also relatively light-weight, and not designed to be used while the boat is underway.
Another deployable top has been installed into the Aquamajestic 27 sports boat, manufactured by Kencraft Marine Pty Ltd. This top incorporates a remotely operated convertible roof that can deploy over the open cabin of the boat in a similar manner to the deployment of a convertible top on an automobile. However, this cover completely encloses the cabin of the boat, and does not provide passengers with a means of entering or exiting the boat when deployed.